Creatures of Habit

It’s true that a good breakfast can really set you up for the day ahead, and on a work trip to Frankston I was very thankful to be able to get a good cooked breakfast at Creatures of Habit. I ordered the smashed avocado with fetta and cherry tomatoes, and added two poached eggs for an extra $3. Sadly they don’t offer fresh juice, but I had a bottle of Noah’s apple, peach, kiwi fruit, mango and lime bottled juice, which was delicious and one of the best, non-cold pressed bottled juices I’ve had in a long time. The food took a while to come out, and, frustratingly, I could see it on the pass waiting for service to deliver to the table for quite a while. Luckily, my eggs hadn’t over-poached and were still runny by the time I did get to eat them, and everything was still hot and fresh. The avocado and fetta combination was beautiful, and the toast was a good quality, dense (and filling!) bread. The cherry tomatoes did have an odd fizz to them, so I didn’t finish them, but overall it was just what I needed to keep me going for he day ahead.

Creatures of Habit, 435 Nepean Highway, Frankston VIC, no webiste

Space Kitchen

I know I’m a bit slow jumping on the Space Kitchen bandwagon, but let’s just spend a moment appreciating what a beautiful bandwagon this is. Located on the ground floor of Skypark, Space brings together industrial and urban chic, with a dose of Ricardo’s desserts thrown in for good measure. I couldn’t go past a fresh juice, so started with the orange, pear, pineapple and passionfruit combo ($6.9), which was beautifully balanced and sweet. To eat, I picked the super-Instagrammable (that’s totally a word) Space Benedict. Now don’t imagine your classic eggs benedict people, this is something on a whole other level. Obviously the presentation is to die for – Space sets the bar high, and the taste doesn’t disappoint. The perfectly poached eggs oozed out over the plate, mixing with the beetroot hollandaise to make a perfect sauce for the crumbed pork croquette that makes up the majority of the dish. Whilst rich, the pork is lovely and tender and has a great amount of flavour on its own, let alone with the hollandaise or pea puree, not to mention the addd textural elements of a crumbled brioche mixed with pork crackling. My only suggestion would be something else to help mop up all those saucy elements – otherwise, I’ll be back again soon!

Space Kitchen, Skypark, corner of Furzer and Worgan Streets, Phillip ACT, no website

Little Oink

Three friends and I adventured out to Cook in Belconnen to try Little Oink, known for its cute decor and pork-themed menu. We sat outside, and my seat had company – a lovely life-sized pig statue leaning on the bench, joining the conversation. We started with drinks – coffee for my friends, a soy hot chocolate ($5) for me. Whilst not Surry Hills-good, the hot chocolate did taste of chocolate rather than just soy and came with two marshmellows – yum! After admiring the fun menu item names (om-nom-nomlette, for example), I opted for the Jordo – a brioche roll with bacon, two eggs, cheese and tomato relish ($12), and added extra avocado for $3. The food took a while to come out, but they did serve all of our meals shortly after one another, so we didn’t mind. I had to chase up the extra avocado, and when it came out it was a reasonable serve, probably half of a small avocado. The bun was packed full – there was a lot of bacon inside and it had a really great flavour. The eggs were fluffy and cooked through, and the brioche was just the right amount of sweet. We lingered afterwards and weren’t rushed – a lovely quaint spot.

Little Oink, 22 Cook Pl, Cook ACT, no website

Urban Pantry

Urban Pantry has undergone a refresh – both to its decor and its menu. The fresh, clean-looking space has made presentation a priority (as its Instagram account attests), so I met a friend visting from Melbourne there to try the new offerings. I ordered the Chef’s Pan ($18), with a poached egg, haloumi, spinach, roast tomatoes, asparagus and mushroom, which sounded like a delicious and healthy way to start the day. Our food came out quickly, and I was smitten with my dish before I took one mouthful, it was so pretty! I broke open the egg, which was dotted with quinoa, and the perfectly runny yolk oozed out to coat the assorted vegetables – mmm. I started with the good stuff – hello haloumi! It was lightly grilled, and had a nice, strong flavour without being overly salty. Winner. Next the tomatoes, which had also been perfectly seasoned and tasted like summer. Tick. I am a huge fan of asparagus and I adored this amount, steamed just right for me (not totally soft) and cut into bite-sized pieces. The mushrooms had a really deep, earthy flavour and it was great to lighten things up with some spinach. The fancy toast served on the side was fabulous too. So, delicious all round really!

Urban Pantry, 5 Bougainville Street, Griffith ACT, http://www.urban-pantry.com.au/

Double Shot

I have an incredibly awesome group of friends who will make pretty much any excuse to catch up – luckily breakfast is often that excuse. We gathered at Double Shot on a weekday morning – I started out with an apple, orange, pineapple and mint juice ($7), which was served in quite a large jar and was nicely balanced between the ingredients – there’s nothing like a fresh juice to start the day! I’d tried the mushroom dish before, so this time I went for the scrambled eggs with pecorino, grilled asparagus and truffle oil ($19). Our food was brought out mostly together (a short wait in between the first and last person to be served), and I felt like the presentation was a bit slap-dash, as though the ingredients had just been tossed on the plate, but I guess it’s hard to make scrambled eggs pretty! The asparagus was perfectly cooked and went perfectly with the fluffy, creamy eggs. The pecorino added a great bite to the dish (I liked that it wasn’t all melted into the eggs), and the truffle oil was in there working its magic. The toast was a bit too crispy for me, but other than that it was a lovely meal, both food and company-wise.

Double Shot, 18 Duff Place, Deakin ACT, http://doubleshotdeakin.com.au/

Eighty Twenty

I adore those beautiful spring weekend mornings when you can feel the sun shining on your face! My friend and I enjoyed one such morning sitting outside at Eighty Twenty. Another friend had recommended trying one of the acai bowls – acai isn’t my favourite flavour, but with the delicious-sounding toppings I gave the “O” bowl, one of three options, a go. Our food came out quickly, although not at the same time, and I admired the neat presentation of the strawberries, bananas, granola and toasted coconut on top. The concept reminded me of Local Press’ smoothie bowl, with a dairy-free acai blend beneath the fruit and granola. Winning combination! The granola was the rock star of this meal – crisp, sweet and full of oats, almonds and other delicious things, every mouthful was a delight. The acai blend was lovely and refreshing, with bits of ice and banana to thicken it up. I also really loved the fresh banana and strawberry – this, combined with the icy acai and the crispy granola meant the dish ticked all the flavour an texture boxes. The portion size was just right for brunch and for $14 it was reasonable value. I can’t wait to try the other two!

Eighty Twenty, 18 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, http://www.eightytwentyfood.com.au/

Local Press

Sometimes I feel like this blog is a bit of a love letter to Local Press. Every time I eat there I have a consistently excellent experience, and this time was no exception. Having not tried it before, I opted for the smoked leg ham toasted sandwich, while my friends tried the French toast and the porridge. The food came out quickly, and I was struck by the vibrant colours on the plate. The menu didn’t mention that the sandwich came with a salad, so that was a pleasant surprise. The fresh rocket and capsicum was a perfect way to lighten up the rich toastie. And what a toastie it was! The bread had obviously been pan-fried in butter – it oozed with deliciousness and the flavour was incredible. I chose to add a fried egg into the filling and it went really well with the thick-cut leg ham (slightly chewy, but really tasty), the fresh tomato and the tasty cheddar. The whole breakfast was so hearty and I think it would have still been super filling, even without the added egg. The other dishes looked great too – I’ll be back soon to try them out!

Local Press, 128 Trevellian Quay, Kingston ACT http://www.localpresscafe.com.au/